Venturing into the world of woodcarving for the first time can be a little daunting; there are so many styles and so many tools that it can be hard to know where to start.
In this class Olivia will breakdown relief carving into the 4 basic carving cuts that form the fundamentals of many styles of woodcarving. You will be shown how to use them to create your own woodcarvings.
Designed to have minimal set-up hurdles for the beginner woodcarver, Olivia will use just 2 carving gouges for the entire class and show how you can use these to create patterns and forms. This will be demonstrated by carving a sunrise/flower pattern and adding depth and movement to a leaf design.
All skill levels welcome. No prerequisites. All you need is a computer and a good internet connection!
WOO is a non-profit safe space for training underrepresented genders in our field. As such, enrollment is limited to non-binary, trans, and woman-identifying people over the age of 18.
Olivia O’Connor is a woodcarver and rocking horse maker. Working from her studio in the rolling green hills of South Gippsland, Victoria (Australia).
Olivia has a lifelong passion for making and is particularly drawn to working with natural materials. She studied Furniture Design and Construction at RMIT and Prop Making and Scenic Art for Theatre and Film at NIDA. Olivia taught herself woodcarving in order to make her first rocking rocking horse in 2011. Olivia has been carving custom made rocking horses full time since 2013 and has been expanding her carving knowledge and practice ever since. Since then her work has expanded to include rocking horse restorations, all manner of woodcarvings as well as teaching and demonstrating.
Olivia is passionate about making woodwork accessible, creating and sharing her carving knowledge with those wanting to gain new skills.
See more images of her work below, or by visiting her website oliviaoconnor.com.au, her Facebook, or instagram @oliviaoconnorcarving
